Oklahoma Is Where I Live

“Gary Conrad is a storyteller in the Oklahoma tradition of Will Rogers. He shares his very personal experiences and the insights and wisdom he has gained as a compassionate physician and spiritual seeker. A satisfying read.” —Andrew Weil, MD, author of Spontaneous Happiness and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health

“Oklahoma Is Where I Live is a sassy, juicy collection of reminiscences of growing up and coming of age in the American heartland. Conrad’s essays have an archival flavor for a past we must remember, as America becomes increasingly urbanized.” —Larry Dossey, MD, author of Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine, and Executive Editor of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing

“A genuine storyteller, Gary Conrad shares precious, thought provoking, funny, heartwarming and profound anecdotes. Oklahoma Is Where I Live is a treasure!”  —Joan Korenblit, Executive Director Respect Diversity Foundation

“It may be true, as Conrad states, that Will Rogers was ‘Oklahoma’s greatest storyteller.’ But Conrad’s not a bad storyteller himself! His stories about being a boy, a father, a doctor, and a liberal are all set in Oklahoma. Yes, a liberal in Oklahoma; there are still some of us around! As he insists, it’s possible to love the state—its beauty, diversity, friendliness, etc.—without fitting into its overwhelmingly “red” political status these days. Conrad’s account of his activism against capital punishment is alone enough to show that he doesn’t fit in. ‘I have nothing against conservatism,’ he writes, ‘but I struggle with minds that are closed, whether conservative or liberal.’ Indeed. Oklahomans of all persuasions should enjoy and benefit from this book, but it deserves a broader audience as well.” —Davis D. Joyce is the author of Howard Zinn: A Radical  American Vision, and editor of two Zinn-influenced collections of “alternative views” of Oklahoma history, “An Oklahoma I Had Never Seen Before” and Alternative Oklahoma

“Like Oklahoma’s favorite son, Will Rogers, Gary Conrad is a genuine storyteller. This collection of sometimes funny, sad, or compelling stories is important in the preservation of history. The excitement jumps off the page when he describes something as mundane as his first kiss, or as he painfully relates the last moments of a death row inmate’s life. There are hilarious stories about strange objects taken from a patient during surgery and the gut-wrenching care for victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. 

“After all, Gary Conrad’s life is like our own existence—filled with hills and valleys. Fortunately, he has emptied his soul of his remembrances and has fulfilled his obligation to pass along the stories of his life to the following generations.” —Bob Burke, attorney, Oklahoma historian and author of Opala: In Faithful Service to the Law"